Where has the time gone?

I can’t believe the tenth week of my internship is coming to an end. This summer has flown by. Last weekend I was able to go back to one of my favorite places ever, North Central 4-H Camp for Cloverbud Camp. While there I saw a friend and fellow intern, Katie Conn. We talked about our worries coming into this internship, and we talked about how they were all gone now. My summer has been one that I won’t ever forget. Though I’ve known for several years that I’ve wanted to pursue a career in Extension, I’ve never been so sure until after this summer.

Over the past few weeks I have been able to experience a side of Extension that I wasn’t familiar with. This was the side that I was nervous about coming into my internship, the side that called for many more nights & weekend commitments. I have been nothing but happy with the results of the past few weeks. Growing up in 4-H I’ve participated in the speeches and demonstrations, I’ve attended camp, I’ve been involved in our teen council, and much more, but I have never been involved in the livestock side of 4-H. So, when our county fair rolled around July 6th-11^th, I was able to experience something completely new. It turned out to be a great learning experience and I had a great time! I handed out ribbons at each of the shows and kept records of each of the placings. My favorite part was at our goat show when there was a costume contest for the goats. There were goats dressed as a taco, a watermelon, a referee, and more!

Right after the fair ended we headed to Cloverbud Camp at North Central. While at camp, I taught a foods class with Jennifer Noland on how to make coffee can ice cream. Working with Cloverbuds was hilarious. They had so much energy and were so excited to learn how to make home-made ice cream.

My project for the summer has been to create an officer training for the teen council officers for the 2015-2016 year. This is a two day training that will consist of leadership activities, parliamentary training, community service, and much more. Growing up I was very involved in the Jessamine County Teen Council and even served as an officer for three years. This council has the opportunity to do a lot of good in this community as I have seen firsthand. I felt that providing these officers with a solid training would help to build a council of strong leaders. I have been asked to serve as an advisor for this council so this is a project I can oversee for the next year as well. I am very excited to work with these teens!

-Aubrey Clark